2016 vs 2025 - How Much Faster are Modern Mountain Bikes?

The tale of the two pink Santa Cruz Bronsons. Which one would you take?
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[@bikoastal9203]

This is the most relevant and interesting MTB video I've seen in a while.

[@VYBEKAT]

Absolutely

[@richardkovanda7578]

Here we go! ''Surprisingly'' it's all about riding skills, rather than newer bike the better. Cheers for upload lads.

[@158158cow]

The consistency in times between your two sets of runs is actually insane!

[@fdequintana]

They are pro riders, of course they are gonna be abble to ride consistenly

[@158158cow]

@ Down to the +/- 0.01s on two quite different bikes, though? And matching heat vs. heat. That’s a statisticians wet dream

[@sladeoriginal]

Biggest improvement past 10 years is tires.

[@trailpeakuk]

I love the older style bronsons!

[@stephenkrause6059]

Super interesting. I did something similar and came to the same conclusions about wheel size, components, etc. Great mtb channel, definitely my favourite.

[@KevsAZMTB]

Nice riding! Excited to see the next track to see how the results vary

[@DarkMagician225]

Still regret not getting a 22 Specialized Endro.

[@Sam96210]

I have a 22 enduro frame I’m trying to sell 😅

[@justinfournier1285]

It’s not too late, lots of them out there cheap.

[@ref0270]

Evans mtb saga did the exact same comparison! I almost had to double take thinking these were the same bikes.

[@VYBEKAT]

Brilliant work! Perfect video! I subscribed

[@fdequintana]

Great test, hope the next video will be released soon. In an ideal scenario it would be neat to have both bikes equipped with the same fork/damper, as I think front suspension is abble to mask or augment other handling traits, but of course this is out of the scope of the video. Bikes have been good for a while, 8 years make a difference, but good bikes from back in the day are still good

[@dvoob]

Funny to compare the 2016 bronson's geo to a 2025 blur... not to dissimilar, just with a tad bit more travel on the bronson.

[@paultorres4866]

I have an older Bronson and a more recent Ibis Ripmo. I've upgraded the Bronson with all modern components and made it a mullet without big difference in geo. The Bronson still rips!

[@CrispyDollar]

Love the V3, i think imho best of all Bronson

[@alexgordon8277]

I had it, now on nomad 5, I think it's better in every regard. but I loved it still, incredible bike

[@Tanner731]

would be crazy if you compared heart rate and everything to show the difference in exertion between the bikes

[@leaferlite]

That would definitely be interesting. 💯👍

[@trentvlak]

I like the 27.5 so I have a Primer 27.5 and a Mach 5.5.

[@matthewyaron5827]

Thanks for that, i want to put a miid drive on a 2019!!

[@alexstrauss5767]

Great comparison there Brian, I never would have thought they would be that close in time, blew my mind there. Mountain bike marketing departments make it seem like you'll be SOOOOO much faster on their new model compared to the older ones and that you can't live without it otherwise you will be dropped by your friends with the new gear. This really helps prove them wrong, so well done. I wonder what would happen if both bikes had the same Maven brakes and same maxis tires to sort of even out the negatives of the older bike there.

[@TastyGnocchi]

I've been dropped by a coworker on his entry level scott hardtail. This 100% changed my outlook on bike speed

[@jewsefjones]

Thats so sick that old bronson still holds it own

[@timestampterrysassistant7638]

I ride the 2016 model, love my bike ❤️

[@BrawndoDrinker]

I loved my old 14(?) Intense Tracer 275 L in short mode, very similar suspension to the Bron v2 layout. If I had a chance to grab an older longer reach version of that frame in mint condition I'd mullet it in a heart beat. Of course I am pretty happy with my 24 Yeti SB135 xl that I flipped to a mullet, which got me as close to that old Intense as I could on feel. Been searching for that feel ever since I let that old Intense go. So much of the new gear just is so heavy and geo is still not quite right for my tastes.

[@davidmoyer6435]

More geno content!

[@TheJohnBrowningGunClub]

the original CC bronsons were so good

[@Vodafone16v]

Owned and rode a Bronson V1 for about five years. When the V4 Bronson came out, I convinced myself it was time. After two months of riding the V4 Bronson, I ended up selling it. It was way too slow on the climbs, heavy, and sluggish. Of course, I was coming from a V1 Bronson, almost classifiable as a long-travel XC bike by today's standards. The V1 was light and agile but sketchy on the downhill sections. The V4 shredded downhills as if they weren't even there. All in all, the V4 compromised pedaling efficiency too much in favor of the downhills.

[@zoid4258]

When you guys are drifting are you braking or just braking traction? Whats the back tire? Seems like you're finding a lot of control in the skid I dont understand

[@TheJohnBrowningGunClub]

rear braking to drift. you can see the spokes fully stop moving

[@zoid4258]

@@TheJohnBrowningGunClub thanks, was on mobile couldnt tell

[@honzikhonzik86]

new bikes can be ridden with less technique.. if you are skilled the difference is not that big

[@briancahal]

Nailed it.

[@ojayhunt]

how interesting that evan just did this....

[@carterschichtel9678]

Wonder if it’s a coincidence haha

[@TroyCopley-i9y]

You guys in Auburn?

[@justinvandegeuchte7984]

can you do a druid v2 and bronson v5 comparison

[@MastaShredduh]

Evans Mtb saga just did this same video with the same bikes bro.

[@tonkshred]

Wonder how fast Palmer would b on that with his skills bitd on that bike w drop bars he rode dh with 😂😂😂😂😂 who has a time machine?20+ year old stufffs 10 is like yesterday 😊 awesome video. I went to college in colorado over becoming a banana slug.. trying not to wish i had gone to santa cruz your vids dont help 😊

[@BenIngold]

Will we see you at any CES races this year Brian?

[@briancahal]

Yessir!

[@BenIngold]

@@briancahal See you there! I'll introduce myself if I recognize you.

[@jockardl]

I actually thought the difference would be way higher

[@trentvlak]

It's a smooth twisty track so the 29er can't shine.

[@kip4135]

To the average rider they're the same, anyone who says otherwise is just shilling you expensive garbage.

[@ThisIsntGinoRocco]

Ride a bike with 66 degree head angle and then a bike with a 64 degree head angle down a steep, fast, rough trail and tell me you don't feel a difference. I enjoy riding both types of bikes, but to say they're the same is nonsense.

[@OscarHernandez-xx2je]

@@ThisIsntGinoRoccoangle set?

[@ThisIsntGinoRocco]

@@OscarHernandez-xx2jesteeper seat tube is nicer for climbing also and length helps with stability

[@allthepizzainmybelly1302]

Sucks to be average then

[@MW-ud8zp]

Seems like the trail didn't really push the bikes to their limits.

[@briancahal]

stay tuned for the enxt episode

[@DandyHippo]

when you compare bikes that are 8-10 yrs old they look as old as cars from the early 2000s lmao

[@bigshnitzeljesse]

Cars now have bigger wheels, and steeper hta. I used to go otb in my 2000s sedan

[@ArturPereiraMTB]

Good video... but... what about a little better stabilization on the cameras ?!... This is 2024/2025, you know.

[@LoganLaPointe-i7t]

I just saw Evan's MTB Saga do basically the same thing, what a coincidence

[@d4wgbike]

The brainworms are telling me it wasn’t a coincidence

[@KarlMaldenarino]

that guy blocked me for pointing out he was running an illegal personal raffle

[@TheSpookieDoo]

if you check Brian's channel you can see he definitely is just revisiting this bike. 7 days ago had a video on the same bike, Evan seems to be the one who did the copying if that even is the case lol

[@d4wgbike]

@@KarlMaldenarino lmao wut 😭

[@TheNorcalMtb]

Evan MTB Saga is trashhhh fooo

[@justinfournier1285]

Please get into the weeds on the kinematics of the T429 Enduro with a Float X vs the LT. Wondering how the LT compares to a Hightower 3 as well!

[@MrWolf2212]

Old one looks so much better

[@VvvnimaL]

MTB marketing for you, all of it is a scam. BMX geo and tech not changed for years and people still push those bikes to new hights all the time.

[@TeddyParker]

yep, those diminishing returns were hit a while ago. and we're seeing brands pull back from the craziness now. and when you see guys like Chaz race a base Stumpy in pro enduro, it speaks to what the real advancements of MTBing were, once the geo got a bit more MX and a bit less road bike. and thats more so parts durability, linkage kinematics, grip with tires, etc.

[@ThisIsntGinoRocco]

I don't get how it's a scam. BMX geo hasn't changed because it's been optimized for many years, while MTB started with road geometry and has been working its way toward where it is now, evolving particularly over the past 5 years. The champ stated that the v2 is more sketchy, scary, precise and it's easier to get to the limit of the v5. You can choose to prefer the more agile and lively feeling bike but there's no doubt that newer MTB geometry is more confidence inspiring for the majority of riders on advanced trails.

[@allthepizzainmybelly1302]

​@@ThisIsntGinoRoccoand BMX tracks haven't changed in forever. Enduro WC get gnarlier every year.

[@bigshnitzeljesse]

​@@ThisIsntGinoRocco that could be 100% due to 27.5 vs 29, not age. There were plenty of other 29ers in 2016. Physics makes 29 have more traction

[@ThisIsntGinoRocco]

@@bigshnitzeljesseagree that 29 plays a role but geometry plays a role as well

[@drumandbassob0007]

hopefully the next test is more than a flattish 30s track pretty hard to see the diff

[@420xwaytoomanyx420]

Seen this test a few times ‘New’ bikes are basically 2-4 seconds faster, less fatiguing to ride repeatedly, not as “fun” to ride technical trails on, have a wider range of shock tuning possibilities and are generally more sturdy and overbuilt giving you the chance of running a lowered dual crown fork on the bike + new ‘built’ race bikes are 36-40lbs where as the mid-gen MTBS were 31-36lb bikes of questionable strength (Evil bikes always did overbuild their design, they and Canfield set most all of the modern MTB trends literal decades ago) The old full 27.5 dedicated bikes do allow more casual body English though bars, this cannot be denied.

[@jurgenkaps2694]

Canfield set most of the modern MTB trends? I am quite certain Canfield was not slackening head angles and increasing reach (Cesar rojo for Mondraker with his forward geo) and I remember specialized with pushing 29ers into the market, those for me where pushing boundaries. Before I feel we still had 66 or 67 degree head angle and large frames with 420 reach. What did Canfield do for modern MTB, I seem to have forgotten (which is perfectly possible as I am old 😅😂). Miss my Jedi, that was such a great bike.

[@420xwaytoomanyx420]

@ they innovated high pivot idlers as well as modern 29er geo with their long travel hardtail yelli scremy. Slack, long, low, heavy. Also the suspension kinematics of the CBF suspension (what you had on that Jedi)-no matter how you set up the shock the bike always feels good. Also a slight bit of rearward travel so the bike trophy-trucks over obstacles. Major bike companies literally steal every last innovation because they can’t take the risk of innovating something new without it being a proven concept elsewhere.

[@jurgenkaps2694]

Interesting view, There was high pivot idlers around before the Jedi, Balfa BB7 as a sample or the Brooklyn machine works which I felt iconic for high pivot idler designs that where ahead of the curve. But good to know Canfield was also an early adopter; just never had than on the radar.